1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to games of chance, and more particularly, to a system and method for playing a game of chance, such as, for example, as lottery-type game, wherein players are afforded multiple opportunities to achieve a winning outcome.
2. State of the Art
Various conventional lottery-type games allow a player to select one or more groups of numbers to match with a group of numbers generated by a gaming administrator, which may include, for example, a gaming administrator, gaming authority or some other gaming operator. For example, gaming administrators offer lottery-type games, sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cPick-3,xe2x80x9d in which a player selects three numbers to match identically with a set of three numbers generated by the gaming administrator.
Often, gaming administrators require the player not only to match the numbers, but also to match the order in which the numbers are generated. With reference to the previous example, if a player were to select the number group xe2x80x9c123xe2x80x9d and the numbers generated by the gaming administrator were xe2x80x9c213xe2x80x9d, the play would not be considered a winning outcome even though the player had correctly matched the three numbers because the order of the concatenated string of numbers was not matched.
Generally, a gaming administrator must balance the size of the payout for a winning play with the quantity of numbers the player must match to produce a winning outcome. For example, if the gaming administrator offers a high payout, it generally requires the player to match 6 or 7 numbers. However, this type of lottery game typically produces very few winners and often causes players to lose interest in the game.
In another example, if the gaming administrator wishes to produce winners more frequently, it may reduce the quantity of numbers a player must match in order to enjoy a winning outcome. For instance, a match of 3 or 4 numbers could result in a winning outcome. However, gaming administrators often reduce the amount of the payout for a winning play in a game of this nature. Accordingly, this type of lottery game also quickly can cause players to lose interest in the game.
To overcome these weaknesses of the prior art, lottery-type games have been developed which seek to increase user interest by requiring fewer numbers to be matched and by providing the player an opportunity to win larger payout amounts for winning plays. One such game is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/590,735 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLAYING A MULTIPLIER GAME and assigned to the assignee hereof. application Ser. No. 09/590,735 discloses a system and method for playing a multiplier game in which a player purchases a ticket for a minimum wager amount set by the gaming administrator to become eligible to participate in a given draw. If the ticket loses in the draw, the result is a non-winning play and the ticket is no longer active. However, if the ticket wins in the draw, the player has the option to collect his/her winnings and inactivate the ticket, or parlay the winnings for a chance to win a significantly larger prize amount in a second, subsequent draw. If the ticket loses in the second draw, the previously won prize amount is forfeited, the ticket is inactivated, and the game is over. However, if the ticket wins in the second draw, the player either may collect the increased prize amount, or parlay the winnings to a third, subsequent draw for a chance to win an even larger prize amount. This process continues for a variable number of draws prescribed either by the gaming administrator or by player selection. Thus, for a single wager amount, players may participate in multiple draws, so long as the player achieves a winning play in each draw played.
The game of application Ser. No. 09/590,735 also permits players to chose the odds of winning and the size of prizes for which they wish to play by choosing the quantity of indicia they want to cover in each of a plurality of columns on the associated game play slip. The more indicia selected, the better the odds of winning and the smaller the prizes which may be won. Conversely, fewer numbers selected results in less favorable odds and larger potential prizes. These dynamics provide lottery game participants a level of control previously available only in other gaming venues.
While addressing many drawbacks of the prior art, the game disclosed by application Ser. No. 09/509,735 may be perceived as being too complex to the more inexperienced gambler. For instance, a relatively high number of decisions are required by the player for play eligibility, which can be intimidating to those unfamiliar with the concept of gambling odds. Further, less experienced gamblers often are hesitant to forfeit what they have already won and, thus, they will not choose to parlay their winnings in most instances. As such, they participate in only one draw, making the game more like traditional lottery-type games and taking on many of the drawbacks associated with such games as mentioned above.
Accordingly, there is a need in the gaming industry for a lottery-type game which is relatively simple and allows players of all experience levels to participate. It would be desirable to configure such a game such that few decisions are required by the player while still enabling the player to have some control over his or her odds of winning and the size of potential payout amounts. In implementing such a game it may be desirable to allow players to place a relatively small initial wager for which they are permitted to participate in multiple draws without having to forfeit prizes won in order to continue their eligibility for play.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method of playing a lottery game is provided. The method includes obtaining at least one player-selected combination of indicia and obtaining a first randomly generated combination of indicia. The two combinations are compared to determine whether a match has occurred. A second randomly generated combination of indicia is obtained and then compared again with the player-selected combination of indicia to determine whether a match has occurred, regardless of whether the first randomly generated combination of indicia and player-selected combination of indicia resulted in a match. Additional randomly produced combinations of indicia may be generated for subsequent comparison regardless of the success of the previous comparisons.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a method of conducting a lottery game is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of player selectable indicia and allowing a player to select at least one combination of indicia from the plurality. A first randomly generated combination of indicia is produced from a set of indicia which corresponds with the plurality of selectable indicia. The player-selected combination of indicia and randomly generated combination of indicia are compared to determine whether a match has occurred. A second randomly generated combination of indicia is produced from the set of indicia and is compared with the player-selected combination of indicia to determine whether a match has occurred regardless of the comparison of the first randomly generated combination of indicia with the player-selected combination of indicia.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, another method of conducting a lottery game is provided. The method includes requiring a player to become eligible for a plurality of rounds of play. The player is provided with an opportunity to win in each round of play in which the player is eligible. A nonlinear payout schedule is provided for awarding multiple winning rounds of play within the plurality of rounds of play in which the player is eligible.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for facilitating a lottery game. The system includes at least one indicia generator configured to sequentially generate a plurality of combinations of indicia. A set of player selectable indicia is provided and a selecting device allows a player to select a specified quantity of indicia from the set of player selectable indicia to create a player-selected combination of indicia. A processor is configured to determine the number of matches, if any, between the player-selected combination of indicia and a set quantity of the plurality of sequentially generated combinations of indicia.